


A Thousand Words

by serenbach



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2018-11-01 16:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10925298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenbach/pseuds/serenbach
Summary: Moments of Noctis and Ignis' relationship, captured in the media.Chapter One:The tabloids speculate about the prince's new boyfriend.Chapter Two:Noct gets his photo featured on a gossip website.Chapter Three:Noct visits a children's hospital, and Ignis sees himself on the news.





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey, Specs!” Noctis said with a smirk as Ignis let himself into his apartment. “Guess who I’m having an affair with now?” he asked, waving a newspaper at him.

“Not Prompto again?” Ignis asked as he joined Noct in the kitchen, placing the bag of groceries down on the cabinet. “You’re going to break his heart one of these days.”

Ever since the prince had reached his teenage years some of the seedier tabloids - the ones who would rather invent a scandal than report that Noct had graduated top of his class and would soon be attending a prestigious university, for instance – had been determinedly inventing romances with almost anyone Noctis was spotted socialising with.

Prompto was the most common “partner” that the media paired Noct with, as they were often photographed together, usually with their heads close together and giggling about something (Ignis was relieved for Noctis’ sake that Prompto had learned to laugh off the rumours). Gladio was also a frequent contender for Noct’s boyfriend, usually due to his habit of ruffling Noct’s hair up in public, but he had also been paired off with Iris when the two of them had once been spotted eating ice-cream together, much to the annoyance of the Amicitia family, but at least they were used to the press as part of their association with the royal family.

It was only when the tabloids interrupted Noct discussing an assignment with a classmate (who Noct actually had something of a crush on) leading to her avoiding him, or interrupting a first date with another classmate, causing him to end the relationship with Noct before the milkshakes they had ordered had even arrived that the paparazzi was a problem.

Fortunately, this time Noct was smiling and not upset.

“Nah, not Prompto this week,” Noct said, grinning as he handed over the paper. Ignis unfurled the pages to discover, much to his shock, that the prince’s new lover was apparently himself.

He blinked in surprise, and Noct laughed at his expression, but Ignis could not quite share in his amusement as he studied the picture. It had been taken just a few days previously, Ignis judged from the outfit he was wearing. In the photo, Noct was holding his phone so Ignis could see the screen (he’d unlocked a five-star character in King’s Knight, if Ignis remembered correctly) but Ignis was not looking at the phone.

He was leaning over a little, ostensibly to see the phone, but he was looking at Noct’s face. Ignis was smiling slightly and his expression was fond and affectionate. He looked, quite honestly, like a man in love.

Which, of course, he was.       

“How scandalous,” Ignis managed, and Noct laughed again, clearly not hearing the panic in his words.

“I know, shocking, right?” Noctis shook his head, still smirking. “At least it’s a nice photo.”

“They got something right for once,” Ignis agreed, trying to hide _just_ how unexpectedly right the paparazzi had been this time, how close they had come to revealing his most closely guarded secret.

“Prompto would probably take a better one though,” he continued, and to that Ignis could agree wholeheartedly. “Do you think he’d like a new camera for his birthday?”

“I think he’s rather attached to the one he has,” Ignis replied, as he started to put the groceries away and to his relief, the conversation moved on, the photograph forgotten.

It wasn’t until he was leaving that he picked up the paper again. “Do you mind if I take this, Noct?” he asked, keeping his voice deliberately casual.

Noct gave him a funny look, but answered, “yeah, if you like.”

“I’m training with Gladio tonight, I’m sure it’ll amuse him,” Ignis explained, and Noct laughed again.

“I’m sure he’ll be jealous,” Noctis said. “See you tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Ignis replied as he left, the photo carefully removed and put in his wallet.

Ignis had always taken care to appear professional in public, even before his feelings for Noct had turned decidedly _unprofessional_. That was probably why the tabloids had never speculated about him before. He would just need to be more careful in the future, that was all, make sure his expression was guarded at all times.

The photograph in his wallet would serve as a reminder of that.

Besides, it _was_ a nice picture, and Ignis had so few of the two of them together.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Guess who’s been spotted in Insomnia!” Prompto asked with a grin as Noct opened the door to his apartment. He had a bundle of games in one hand, and his phone in the other.

“Not that website again,” Noct said with a sigh, but still took the phone when Prompto handed it to him before he flopped onto the sofa.

 _Spotted in Insomnia_ was a popular gossip site where people could submit photos of celebrities they’d seen in the city. He was featured on it quite a lot, mostly in the arcade or travelling between the Citadel and home, much to his own surprise. He didn’t think people would still find that interesting, but apparently so.

This picture was a little different than the usual ones on the website, though. It was of the four of them in a diner, one of the few open in the early hours in the city, and they were all in formalwear. In the picture, Noctis was in a three-piece suit, his cravat loosened and royal sash draped over the side of his chair. Ignis and Gladio were in their dress Crownsguard uniform, though Gladio had already unbuttoned his shirt, his jacket folded on the chair next to him. Prompto was also wearing a suit, one in a very dark grey, as close to black as someone not formally linked to the Crown could wear in the Citadel.

“The Crown Prince and his cohorts escape the confines of the Citadel to celebrate…” Noctis read aloud, before pulling a face, coming to sit next to Prompto. “Who comes up with this stuff?”

“Who knows?” Prompto said, kicking off his shoes and settling onto the sofa. “I wonder who took it though, it’s a really nice picture.”

“We didn’t _escape_ either,” Noct objected with a scowl, not listening. “Dad said we could go.”

“Hey, _I_ didn’t write it,” Prompto pointed out, leaning over his arm to look back down at the screen.

There had been a formal gala in the Citadel that night. Noctis had attended to support his dad, Ignis and Gladio had accompanied him, and Prompto had come along for moral support. At about midnight, his dad had tipped his head towards the door, and they slipped out as unobtrusively as they could.

Noct had been starving – the food at the gala had been not to his taste, putting it mildly – and Ignis had suggested that they stop on the way back to his apartment. Which was why in the picture he had his hand on Noct’s shoulder, urging him to tuck into a huge bowl of fries (and not a single vegetable in sight!).

The way Noct was looking up and smiling at Ignis in the picture was only a little bit due to the presence of the fries, and a lot to do with the big stupid crush he had on him. He sighed to himself, handing Prompto his phone back.

“Wow, there are some really thirsty people in the comments,” Prompto said, laughing awkwardly. “This person wants Gladio to do _what_ to them?” He stared goggle-eyed at his phone, blushing a bit.

“Dude, don’t read the comments,” Noctis recommended, something he’d learned from experience. “You’ll only regret it.”

“Hey, this one says I look hot!” Prompto continued with a bright, surprised grin, apparently ignoring Noct’s advice.

“You scrub up alright, I guess,” Noct agreed, laughing when Prompto shoved his shoulder.  

“And this one says…” Prompto’s eyes widened, and he cleared his throat unconvincingly. “Uh, nothing. Not a thing.”

“May as well let me see,” Noct said with a sigh, holding out his hand. Prompto passed over the phone with a reluctant grimace.

_Looks hot in uniform AND provides food?! No wonder the prince fancies him!_

Noct sighed again, and Prompto took his phone back, closing the site. “Like you said, no one reads the comments, right?” he offered hopefully.

“Right,” Noct repeated flatly. He hoped not, anyway. Between how uncomfortable Ignis had been when he’d seen the newspaper article claiming he was Noct’s secret boyfriend (he’d tried to hide that fact, but Noctis could tell) and Noct’s embarrassingly besotted smile in this one, he was worried that Ignis was going to figure out how he felt.

He would be kind about it when he turned him down, Noct knew, polite and reasonable and probably adding a joke to try and make him feel better, but still he couldn’t bear to think of it.

“I wouldn’t worry,” Prompto told him, obviously trying to be comforting. He knew all about Noct’s hopeless crush. “I can’t see Ignis going on this website, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to tell anything was up from this picture.”

“Yeah?” Noct asked, feeling a little bit better.

“Yeah!” Prompto exclaimed. “It’s not like you’re looking at him any differently from normal!”

Noct groaned and put his head in his hands, and Prompto frantically tried to backtrack on what he’d said, until Noct started to laugh despite himself.

“Let’s… just play,” he said, and Prompto nodded, grabbing one of his games seeming at random and sticking it in the console.

Later, after they’d killed enough zombies and eaten enough junk food that Noct was feeling better about things, and Prompto was fast asleep in his spare room, Noct went back onto the website and saved the picture onto his phone.

If anyone did happen to notice it, he was sure no one would think anything of it, or realise that he had saved it for any special reason. It _was_ a nice picture of the four of them, after all.                  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Crownsguard is bound to have some sort of formal uniform, right? I'm also not sure about the state of the internet in Eos, but if they can play King's Knight together I guess there must be some sort of internet there!


	3. Chapter 3

It had, Ignis reflected, been a successful day.

Noctis had been invited to tour the newly revamped children’s ward of Insomnia Hospital, and while he was sometimes awkward or uncomfortable with some of the public appearances he had to make as the prince, this one he agreed to right away.

“I know what it’s like,” he’d said to Ignis earlier that morning while trying to decide on a tie. “To be sick and away from home. If I can help just a bit…”

He trailed off with a shrug. Ignis remembered that time all too well, and completely understood why Noct would want to go. He’d handed Noct a simple black tie with the tiniest Lucian crest embroidered into it, his heart full.      

The visit had gone extremely well. Noct had toured around the hospital with the doctors, asking about some of the new modifications to the ward that Ignis had researched for him, but he had also asked questions about the new procedures the hospital now provided that proved that he had done his own reading, and Ignis, trailing behind with the rest of Noctis' entourage and the press, had been incredibly impressed with how thorough he had been.

Later, Noct had met some of the children, and had done magic for them, _real_ magic, pulling gifts out of the armoury (even though Ignis knew he would be paying for it in exhaustion later) just to make them laugh, and had read a _Charlie the Chocobo_ story to the utterly enraptured group.

They had left the hospital with the children looking much happier, Noct looking quietly pleased with himself, and Ignis completely satisfied with how smoothly the event had gone.

Afterwards, Noct had met up with Prompto, and Ignis had agreed to join Gladio for a drink, and they had been having a perfectly nice evening until Ignis happened to glance up at the television over the bar.

The television was on silent, and had been showing some sporting event that Ignis had little interest in so he hadn’t been paying any particular attention to it, but it happened to show a news bulletin with a clip of Noct’s hospital visit. As Ignis watched, the camera went from focusing on Noct’s bent head as he read to the group to focusing on the room as a whole.

All the adults in the room; the doctors, nurses and journalists had been smiling. Gladio, standing next to Ignis in the room with his arms crossed, had been grinning.

Ignis, however, was staring directly at Noct, and he looked utterly _enamoured._ A tiny soft smile was playing on his lips as he watched the prince read, and his eyes were shining.

He looked like he was thinking exactly what he had been thinking at the time, which was simply _gods, I love him so much, I can’t help it,_ and Ignis felt as exposed as if he had actually said those words aloud on the national news.

Gladio tracked his gaze to the television, and pulled a face at his expression on the screen.

“You’ve really got to cool it, Iggy,” he recommended, ordering them both another drink. “No wonder the gutter press is writing all those stories.”

“They see what they wish to,” Ignis said dismissively, ignoring the fact that they were in fact seeing exactly what was there.

“Sure,” Gladio replied, without any particular inflection, making Ignis wonder how much he had worked out, but the conversation moved on to other things and Ignis allowed himself to relax.

He did, when he got home and watched the news again, pour himself another large drink before going to bed.   

It had still been a successful day, Ignis knew. He just had to be more careful.

**Author's Note:**

> Ignis' comment in-game that there are so few pictures of him and Noct together gets me every time, so here are some fics based around pictures (and other in-universe) media of the two of them. 
> 
> More to come!


End file.
